Prosecutors Demand 3-Year Prison Sentence for Lee Jeong-geun in 1 Billion Won Bribery Case

The prosecution has demanded a three-year prison sentence for Lee Jeong-geun, former Deputy Secretary-General of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was brought to trial on charges of accepting 1 billion won in bribes from a businessman.

Lee Jeong-geun, former Deputy Secretary-General of the Democratic Party of Korea, who is accused of receiving a large sum of money from a businessman in exchange for favors, is attending a detention hearing (warrant review) held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on September 30 last year.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 23rd, the 27th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Ok-gon) held the closing arguments for Lee, who was indicted on charges including bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and violations of the Political Funds Act.

The prosecution requested the court to sentence the defendant to three years in prison, stating, "The defendant actively demanded money, yet denies the crime and shifts responsibility onto the provider." They also requested the confiscation of various luxury goods received from the businessman and an order to recover approximately 980 million won. However, they noted that Lee partially admitted to the crime, returned about 370 million won of the received money, and is a first-time offender, which were considered in determining the sentencing.

In his final statement, Lee said, "Mr. Park's greed grew, and he turned into a loan shark, demanding an absurd amount of money from me while threatening and spreading malicious rumors. When he was sued by me, he immediately made false reports to the prosecution, which is the background of this case." He added, "Looking back at my photo, which I believed easily without verifying his identity, is nothing but shameful." The sentencing hearing will be held on the 12th of next month.

Lee was indicted on charges of receiving 940 million won from businessman Park from December 2019 to January of this year under various pretexts of solicitation (including bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and violations of the Political Funds Act).

There is also a charge of receiving illegal political funds amounting to 330 million won several times from Park between February and April 2020, during the 21st National Assembly elections, under the pretext of election expenses. Since some funds overlapped, the total amount received was calculated to be 1 billion won.